HMHunters
<font color=purple>Extra credit to anyone with a p
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2006
- Messages
- 804
We had spent the day at Animal Kingdom. It was time to head over to Epcot. The plan was to walk through Epcot, eat dinner at Spoodles on the Boardwalk and then
Well, my DH thought that then we were going to walk back over to Epcot to watch Illuminations as a special way to end his birthday.
Spoodles was not at all crowded so we were seated immediately. (Not surprising, looking back now.) While DH and DFIL were in the restroom we called over our waiter and let him know that it was DHs birthday. He asked his name and said hed take care of him. Yay! Another surprise in the offing!
I wish I could say we enjoyed the food at Spoodles, but we really didnt. I had been wary of this one after looking at the menu, but DH really wanted to go there and it fit perfectly into my covert plans so I didnt fight it too much. For appetizers we had Mediterranean dips (DD), calamari (DH), flatbread (Me) and chicken noodle soup (DS). The calamari was pretty good. The dips were too spicy for DD. Entrees were Fettuccini Alfredo (DD), Portuguese Seafood Stew (DH), Lemon Chicken (me) and Grilled Chicken Strips (DS). The only one who enjoyed their dinner was DD. My chicken was incredibly dry and DHs stew was just
... not what he expected at all.
During dinner for some reason my DFIL was compelled to tell the waiter, in front of DH, that it was DHs birthday. So much for surprises.
Oh well, at least the big one was still ahead.
We were forcibly optimistic about dessert. We ordered Crème Brulee (the adults) and Chocolate Mousse (DS). Some of the wait staff came over and sang to DH while delivering his dessert. Dessert was better than the entrees, but nothing to draw us back again. (It was entertaining, especially for the kids, to watch the guy working the walk-up pizza window to throw and spin pizza crusts. Ill say that for Spoodles, but thats about it. It got the thumbs down from everyone for a return trip.) In case you're keeping score, without DDP we would have dropped $151.12 on this dinner.
Now it was about 7:20 and the kids and I knew that we had about 40-50 minutes to kill before
Okay, I guess I have to spill the beans now. Thanks to the DISBoards I read about Illuminations Cruises. From the Yacht and Beach Club you can charter a pontoon boat (for up to 10 people) that will take you on a short cruise and then anchor in a spot with an unimpeded view of Illuminations! There are also very specific instructions on how to get one of these cruises booked. (You must call exactly 90 days in advance! Begin calling at 6:55 a.m. EST! As soon as the recording starts ...) It's like the reservation nazi! Luckily exactly 90 days in advance DH was out of town and I stood in the kitchen with the kids eating breakfast frantically dialing and trying not to screw up. I got through! I got us a cruise booked on his birthday!
Yes, they are very expensive and I normally wouldnt do something so extravagant, but as I think you can see from this report DH is my prince and he deserved it. Plus I never surprise him with something this big and I was really looking forward to it! Somehow the kids and I kept the secret for 90 days; Im amazed DS didnt accidentally spill the beans. They were so excited about it that DS didnt dwell at all on his fear of boats. We had been anticipating this evening for a long, long time! 
Okay, back to the trip we had some time to kill. We went into ESPN Club while DFIL parked his cart in front, watching a game on tv. When we came out we wandered over to watch a street performer in front of Spoodles. It was getting later and we needed to start walking. DH went back to get DFIL who decided hed just sit there and watch the game.
Not in the plans. Somehow DH missed our frantic expressions and I managed to squeak out that DFIL should really come with us now so we didnt have to walk back that way. Thankfully DFIL came without a fight and our plans were saved.
We meandered along toward the Yacht and Beach Club stopping in the stores along the way. I could tell DH was getting a bit anxious, but he didnt say a word. We ended up at the marina right at 8:15 perfect! I left everyone else sitting on a bench while I went and checked us in. DS was fitted for a life jacket, birthday balloons were attached to the boat and we escorted DH over for his big surprise. The look on his face was worth it all! It was a total shock (although he figured something was up when I went up to the office, since he didnt know Illumination Cruises existed he had no idea what was going on!) We all loaded onto the boat, with very light sprinkles starting up. Luckily the back of the boat has a canopy so we sat under that and stayed dry. (The rain stopped before Illuminations began.) Our skipper was Nicole who was very friendly, informative and laid back. (Shes a school teacher and this is what she does on the weekend. Pretty cool way to earn some extra cash, if you ask me!) We cruised between the Swan and Dolphin and got a great nighttime view of Disney MGM Studios!
We meandered back past the Yacht and Beach Club (when Nicole totally sold us on the pool there; weve got to stay there!) and docked under the bridge near France. We had complimentary coolers with drinks and bags of chips and we settled in for Illuminations. DH was so happy; he called his DB (Disney obsessed as well) to share the moment with him. It was fabulous! We just felt so special and spoiled and it was a truly magical time for us. The lights were really pretty reflecting on the water and, to add to the magic, the booms didn't bother the kids at all. I probably didn't enjoy it as much as everyone one else as I was trying to video it so we'd get to take the memory with us even more.
It was over way too soon and we headed back to the marina. I thanked and tipped Nicole for a great time and we came ashore. We started to walk back to Epcot when DH realized hed left his (expensive) sunglasses at Spoodles. In order to speed things up (Epcot was already closed, so our evening was over) DS and I walked back through Epcot and got the car. DH and DD went to Spoodles and retrieved his sunglasses. (Ill count this as some as they are practically brand new and really nice!) We drove around and picked them up and re-lived our evening as we headed back to POFQ for a good nights sleep. I was sad it was over, but happy that it had turned out just as wonderfully as I had hoped for. 
Up next? Epcot and our favorite dinner of the trip(which was NOT at Epcot)!
Well, my DH thought that then we were going to walk back over to Epcot to watch Illuminations as a special way to end his birthday.
Some background is required here. DH loves fireworks, laser shows, all that kind of thing. We had been coming to WDW regularly since 1997. Not once in all those trips had we seen Illuminations. We had tried on almost every trip, but something always happened. The first time, we staked out a great site the entrance to WS. We waited anxiously! Then, with the first BOOM both kids began screaming hysterically. I picked up DS and practically ran because he was so upset. DH followed reluctantly with DD, looking forlornly over his shoulder at the fabulous show he was about to miss. In subsequent trips it was either too cold or the kids were too scared or we had dinner plans that precluded a viewing of Illuminations. Last November (2005) when we were there we staked out a spot nice and early. But it was so cold that the kids and I were shaking. It was either abandon ship or go buy some really expensive sweaters in Norway. We went back to the hotel room with a very sad DH in tow. 
So I knew that seeing Illuminations had been an unfulfilled dream of his for years. We were certainly not going to settle for a back row seat on his birthday!
We got into Epcot and waited for DFIL to arrive. I dont remember why it took him so long, but in the time we were waiting the kids rode Spaceship Earth again. We finally headed off to the International Gateway, counterclockwise around WS. We paused to listen to Off Kilter in Canada and had a nice walk to the rear exit of Epcot. Then we strolled over the bridge to the Boardwalk. I really enjoy that walk; to me its just cool to be able to walk from a park to another area! Someday Id love to stay at one of those resorts. So I knew that seeing Illuminations had been an unfulfilled dream of his for years. We were certainly not going to settle for a back row seat on his birthday! Spoodles was not at all crowded so we were seated immediately. (Not surprising, looking back now.) While DH and DFIL were in the restroom we called over our waiter and let him know that it was DHs birthday. He asked his name and said hed take care of him. Yay! Another surprise in the offing!
I wish I could say we enjoyed the food at Spoodles, but we really didnt. I had been wary of this one after looking at the menu, but DH really wanted to go there and it fit perfectly into my covert plans so I didnt fight it too much. For appetizers we had Mediterranean dips (DD), calamari (DH), flatbread (Me) and chicken noodle soup (DS). The calamari was pretty good. The dips were too spicy for DD. Entrees were Fettuccini Alfredo (DD), Portuguese Seafood Stew (DH), Lemon Chicken (me) and Grilled Chicken Strips (DS). The only one who enjoyed their dinner was DD. My chicken was incredibly dry and DHs stew was just
... not what he expected at all.During dinner for some reason my DFIL was compelled to tell the waiter, in front of DH, that it was DHs birthday. So much for surprises.
Oh well, at least the big one was still ahead.We were forcibly optimistic about dessert. We ordered Crème Brulee (the adults) and Chocolate Mousse (DS). Some of the wait staff came over and sang to DH while delivering his dessert. Dessert was better than the entrees, but nothing to draw us back again. (It was entertaining, especially for the kids, to watch the guy working the walk-up pizza window to throw and spin pizza crusts. Ill say that for Spoodles, but thats about it. It got the thumbs down from everyone for a return trip.) In case you're keeping score, without DDP we would have dropped $151.12 on this dinner.
Now it was about 7:20 and the kids and I knew that we had about 40-50 minutes to kill before
Okay, I guess I have to spill the beans now. Thanks to the DISBoards I read about Illuminations Cruises. From the Yacht and Beach Club you can charter a pontoon boat (for up to 10 people) that will take you on a short cruise and then anchor in a spot with an unimpeded view of Illuminations! There are also very specific instructions on how to get one of these cruises booked. (You must call exactly 90 days in advance! Begin calling at 6:55 a.m. EST! As soon as the recording starts ...) It's like the reservation nazi! Luckily exactly 90 days in advance DH was out of town and I stood in the kitchen with the kids eating breakfast frantically dialing and trying not to screw up. I got through! I got us a cruise booked on his birthday!
Yes, they are very expensive and I normally wouldnt do something so extravagant, but as I think you can see from this report DH is my prince and he deserved it. Plus I never surprise him with something this big and I was really looking forward to it! Somehow the kids and I kept the secret for 90 days; Im amazed DS didnt accidentally spill the beans. They were so excited about it that DS didnt dwell at all on his fear of boats. We had been anticipating this evening for a long, long time! Okay, back to the trip we had some time to kill. We went into ESPN Club while DFIL parked his cart in front, watching a game on tv. When we came out we wandered over to watch a street performer in front of Spoodles. It was getting later and we needed to start walking. DH went back to get DFIL who decided hed just sit there and watch the game.
Not in the plans. Somehow DH missed our frantic expressions and I managed to squeak out that DFIL should really come with us now so we didnt have to walk back that way. Thankfully DFIL came without a fight and our plans were saved. We meandered along toward the Yacht and Beach Club stopping in the stores along the way. I could tell DH was getting a bit anxious, but he didnt say a word. We ended up at the marina right at 8:15 perfect! I left everyone else sitting on a bench while I went and checked us in. DS was fitted for a life jacket, birthday balloons were attached to the boat and we escorted DH over for his big surprise. The look on his face was worth it all!
It was a total shock (although he figured something was up when I went up to the office, since he didnt know Illumination Cruises existed he had no idea what was going on!) We all loaded onto the boat, with very light sprinkles starting up. Luckily the back of the boat has a canopy so we sat under that and stayed dry. (The rain stopped before Illuminations began.) Our skipper was Nicole who was very friendly, informative and laid back. (Shes a school teacher and this is what she does on the weekend. Pretty cool way to earn some extra cash, if you ask me!) We cruised between the Swan and Dolphin and got a great nighttime view of Disney MGM Studios! We meandered back past the Yacht and Beach Club (when Nicole totally sold us on the pool there; weve got to stay there!) and docked under the bridge near France. We had complimentary coolers with drinks and bags of chips and we settled in for Illuminations. DH was so happy; he called his DB (Disney obsessed as well) to share the moment with him. It was fabulous! We just felt so special and spoiled and it was a truly magical time for us. The lights were really pretty reflecting on the water and, to add to the magic, the booms didn't bother the kids at all. I probably didn't enjoy it as much as everyone one else as I was trying to video it so we'd get to take the memory with us even more.
It was over way too soon and we headed back to the marina. I thanked and tipped Nicole for a great time and we came ashore. We started to walk back to Epcot when DH realized hed left his (expensive) sunglasses at Spoodles. In order to speed things up (Epcot was already closed, so our evening was over) DS and I walked back through Epcot and got the car. DH and DD went to Spoodles and retrieved his sunglasses. (Ill count this as some
as they are practically brand new and really nice!) We drove around and picked them up and re-lived our evening as we headed back to POFQ for a good nights sleep. I was sad it was over, but happy that it had turned out just as wonderfully as I had hoped for. Up next? Epcot and our favorite dinner of the trip(which was NOT at Epcot)!
ixiedust:
